Today's Opinions

UNNECESSARILY BUREAUCRATIC. During a hearing on an annexation proposal last week, Alex Aragon, the chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, said he would like concerned residents in attendance to get minutes of the meeting.

The problems which beset the Las Vegas City Schools have had the attention of our community over the past weeks and months. The increases to property taxes certainly arouse the attention of many people.

Although taxes are important, they don’t however overshadow our responsibility to provide students a quality education in a safe and caring environment.

This is our “on-the-road-again” story thanks to an automotive mechanic from Las Vegas, N.M.:

Our 187,500 mileage Chrysler 1994 van has been a long-time family member since we purchased it 16 years ago, and this past November, it joined us on our weeklong car camping trip in northeastern New Mexico. Unfortunately on Sunday (the last day of our vacation), while traveling back to Denver we started having intermittent hesitation problems requiring us to be towed back to Santa Fe for a fuel filter replacement.

I read the article that pertained to the Las Vegas Public Schools regarding new adoptions and the lack of follow-through from district management in making sure all teachers and students had access to the curriculum at the beginning of the new school year.

Congratulations to Alta Vista Regional Hospital’s new chief executive officer, Maridel Acosta, who, after about three months as interim CEO, now takes the reins on a more permanent basis. We wish her well.

We anticipate she will be welcomed as an important leader in our city, since the local hospital is such a critical element to the area’s quality of life. And she’s off to a good start, having been introduced to the community through her interim position. So far she’s left a good impression.

The world lost a bright, dedicated, articulate woman last week when Elizabeth Ed-wards died of breast cancer. She was the estranged wife of John Edwards, who appeared in Las Vegas in 2004, as the Democratic running mate of John Kerry.

John Edwards sought the presidential nomination in 2008 but lost to Barack Obama. One person who knew the late Mrs. Edwards well is Kate Lockwood, a nurse and massage therapist from Las Vegas.